Shoe or similar article



l May 16, 1944. w. BRAUN 2,348,952

` SHOE OR SIMILAR ARTICLE Filed July 21, 1941 EA N ML 7E? VENqOR TTOENEY.

Patented MayV 16, 1944 zmssz snot on suman Annota' wam anun, m mem. can. Appuuo July 21. 1941. snm Nn. 403,:61

. 2 Claims.

This invention relates to footwear and particularly to .a shoe or similar article of the general wedge heel type with or without a cushioning pad in the toe portion.

From the standpoint of manufacturing costs s as well as attractiveness of appearance and strength in construction, I hav found it desirable in a shoe of this character to assemble the insole, the upper, and a strip of material which is to form the cover for the wedge or heel, by stitching these three parts together and in the operation forming a pocket for insertion of the wedge or heel. It is also desirable to avoid the use of nails or tacks in order to lighten the shoe and to give it increased nexibility in the toe.

It is not so diicult to obtain correct nt aroun the heel of the shoe as in the toe thereof, and if a pocket of the character-described is formed all the way around the shoe, or if the toe portion of the upper is stitched to the insole, it is dimcult to obtain a good nt of the toe portion, and moreover a certain amount of flexibility is sacrinced. 1

I have foundl that a Y great improvement in shoe construction for shoes of the character described can be achieved by utilizing a pattern of upper material such as illustrated in Figure 5, by way of example, and stitching the upper, the' insole, and the heel covering together to complete the pocket for the wedge in a manner hereinafter described, and leaving the edge yof the toe portion of the upper to be cemented to the lower surface of the insole as a part of a lasting operation whereby the toe of the shoe is given a iit not possible without lasting.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide a novel and improved construction for a shoe or similar article as well as a method for making the same, in which the upper from the forepart of the waist around the heel is stitched to the insole, and the strip forming the heel covering is also stitched to the upper and insole in a manner to form a pocket for a wedge, and the toe portion of the upper is lasted and secured by cement to the lower edge surface of the insole, whereby increased strength is imparted to the shoe in the region of the wedge or heel, and improved flexibility and iit is imparted to the shoe in the toe portion. Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a further consideration of the speciilcation and the drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a shoe made according to my invention with a portion of the` heel in section.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the shoefwith parts cut away to show the construction thereof. Figure 3 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a plan view of -a pattern for the l0 upper of my improved shoe, being for the lef!I foot as illustrated. The same pattern when inverted is suitable for the right foot. This pattern is by way of example only, beingfshown in a single piece, whereas the pattern may involve other l details of style so long as it retains the essential features hereinafter more particularly described.

Figure 6is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken on the line 6 6 of Figure 1 illustrating the construction change from one wherein 2o the lower edge of the upper is turned inwardly and under the insole to one where said edge is turned outwardly above the insole. 'Ihe thick- 'ness of the parts is exaggerated for clarity, which unavoidably results in some distortion of the titting together which occurs in actual practice,

The completed shoe being illustrated in Figure 1 comprises an upper In, an insole il, a heel wedge cover l2, and an outsole I3, To this, outsole may optionally be added a heel reinforcing piece Il.

Within a pocket I5 the outer edges of which are denned by the cover I2 is positioned a tapered heel wedge I6 which may be of wood, cork, rubber, berfcomposition or other suitable material,

preferably although not necessarily resilient in character.

The upper, an example of a pattern for whichv 'is illustrated in Figure 5, comprises a heel portion l1, a waist portion I8, and a toe portion I9.

40 The outer edges of the heel portion I1 and the waist -portion i8 are designed to be laid upon and to follow'the contour of the corresponding part of the insole l'l, and the ends 20 of the'n heel portion are adapted to be stitched together to close the heel portion of the upper.

An important feature of the toe portion I9 is the extension represented between the dotted lines 2| and the outer edge 22 which is utilized for turning under and cementing to the lower outer edge surface of the insole Il. The dotted line 2i represents the line along which the toe portion of the upper will follow and engage the edge of the insole when the upper is formed. For convenience in description, the extension referred to may be designated as a strip 23 extending from a notch 24 around the toe of the upper. to a corresponding notch 25 on the opposite side oi the shoe. The upper pattern may be varied asV desired to create different styles. Thus it may be made in more than one piece and stitched together. The important thing is to provide the extension strip 23 from notch 2| to notch 25 to be turned under and cemented to the lower face of the insole. l

The normal steps of my method in manufacturing this shoe are as follows: (1) Cut the upper. (2) Fit in a counter 26, if a counter is used. The counter is not necessary to my invention and may be entirely omitted, but as it is sometimes used in shoe construction of this character it is suiiicient to say that it is secured around the heel portion of the upper in any desired manner. (3) Fit in the wedge or heel cover. by stitching it to the upper. When it is being stitched to the upper it in effect partially encloses the upper and does not form a pocket for the wedge until turned down in later operations into the position illustrated in Figures 1 and 3. (4) Stitch the upper and the wedge cover to the insole from ball to ball around the back or' heel. If desired, operations 3 and Il may be combined in a single operation, and are so illustrated. (5) Put the shoe on a last. (6) Apply cement to the upper surface of the wedge and cement it to the insole. (7) Turn down the cover member I2 around the wedge I6, turn the lower edge of the cover I2 under the edge of the wedge I6 and cement the cover to the Wedge. (8) Last the toe ofl the shoe, which according to my invention means to ilt the forepart ofthe upper over the last, pulling the lower edge represented by the strip 23 under the lower edge surface of the insole and cementing it thereto. (9) Roughing the lower surface of the turned under edges of the upper, and cementing on the outsole.

If desired and without departing from my invention a cushioning pad may be combined with or added to the heel wedge and extend forward over the ball area of the shoe. In doing this, it is necessary to increase the width of the Wedge cover member l2 so that the pocket l5 will have greater depth, and also increase the width of the extension strip 23 around the toe portion so that a pocket of sufficient depth is provided to enclose the outer edges of the cushioning member, in which event the lower edge 22 of the toe portion is turned under and cemented to the lower edge of the cushioning element instead of the lower edge of the insole. Thus the invention is readily adapted to either the form illustrated, or a modification incorporating a cushioning element or pad. If such acushioning element is used, it is to be considered, within the spirit of my claims, as a part of the insole at the toe portion of the shoe, even though it be attached to or contsitute a part of, or extension of, the wedge or heel. Within the definition of my claims, it would constitute merely a thickening of the insole, at thetoe portion thereof. In fact, if a cushioning element is used, the material disposed over it may be as light and exible as material commonly used for sock lining, or the same as used in the upper or the heel covering. I have illustrated a flat sole shoe, and a tapered wedge heel; but my invention contemplates as an equivalent the use of some other form of heel, even to the extent of an arch being present.

A shoe made according to my invention has a neat, attractive appearance and is particularly distinguished by a rolled effect around the heel portion, as indicated by the reference numeral` 30. 'I'he manufacturing operation is relatively cheap, and yet a very strong construction is obtained, in that the upper, the insole and the edge covering forming the pocket for the heel are aecurely and permanently bound together by stitching done in a manner which does not detract from the appearance of the shoe but rather enhances the same. I avoid the use of nails or tacks, and greatly improve the flexibility of the sole and toe of the shoe. I can either use a hand lasting operation at relatively slight expense, or machine last the shoe, either resulting in a tit equal to that of an expensive shoe.

By this method and construction I may make not only an open toe type of shoe, or an open heel, or a pattern such as mules. but am enabled to make a closed toe shoe. with adaptability to unlimited styles.

If the heel is open, or in the style of a mule, the upper may be stitched to the heel cover and the insole only a part of the distance around, or the upper may be entirely omitted in the waist and heel portions of the shoe.

If the toe is open, or in a style using straps or a woven pattern, obviously the extension strip 23 is appended on1y.to that part of the upper which comprises the toe portion oi' the shoe.

I believe myself to be the first to employ a construction and method as described in which the upper and the heel covering are stitched to the insole in a manner so that the heel covering can be subsequently rolled down and around to form a. pocket which terminates at the ball or toe portion of the shoe, in combination with an extension or strip around the edge of the toe por'- tion of the upper providing for the lasting of the toe portion of the shoe and the cementing of the strip or extension to the lower edge surface of the insole; a modlcation thereof within the scope of the invention being the addition of a cushioning sole element in the forepart of the shoe in which event the extension or strip around the toe portion of the upper is made deep enough to enclose the edge of the cushioning element and is cemented to the lower surface thereof instead of to the insole as such.

Having described my invention, what -I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A shoe or similar article comprising: an insole, an upper with its lower edge portion from instep to instep around the quarter turned out and secured upon the insole with its edge flush with the corresponding underlying edge of the insole, said upper having an integral marginal strip from instep to instep around the toe enclosing the corresponding underlying edge of the insole and turned under the latter and secured to the lower surface thereof, a heel wedge cover strip having its upper edge portion lying iiat upon the out-turned edge portion of the upper and secured thereto with its edge adjacent the edge of the upper and reversed over the edges of the united insole, upper and cover strip to form a pocket, a heel wedge in said pocket, the lower edge of said cover strip being turned under and secured to the lower surface of the heel wedge, and an outsole secured to the lower surfaces of the heel Wedge, toe portion of the insole, and turend in edges of the cover strip and upper.

2. A shoe orf similar article comprising: an insole the edge of which substantially defines the marginal contour of the shoe disposed subper and secured thereto with its edge adjacent the edge oi' the upper and reversed over the edges of the united insole, upper and cover strip to form a pocket, a heel wedge in said pocket, the lower edge of said cover stri-p being turned under and secured to the lower surface of the heel wedge, and an outsole secured to the lower surfaces of therheel wedge. toe portion of the insole, and turned in edges of the cover strip and WALTER BRAUN.

l0 upper. 

